Private Stranger
by xoc13
Summary: AU. Stephanie is asked to look into the vanishing of her cousin Vinnie's wife. The investigation immediately turns her life upside down. And to top it all off Stephanie finds herself lusting after a handsmoe stranger, Ranger.
1. Chapter 1

**Got this idea and decided to put it on paper and see where it goes. This story is AU. Trying to keep everyone in character, with some twists thrown in there. **

**Stephanie is a PI living in Trenton. When her family asks her to look into the vanishing of her cousin Vinnie's wife, Stephanie is dragged into a whole different ball game. And to top it all off, Stephanie finds herself lusting after a certain handsome stranger, Ranger. **

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.**

The phone rang just as I was leaving my apartment. It was my mother.

"Hey, ma, I'm on my way out..." I said by way of greeting. My mother interrupted me, saying my cousin's wife was missing. "Which cousin?"

"Vinnie."

I groaned. Vinnie isn't exactly on my list of favorites.

I was told Lucille, Vinnie's wife, was let out on bail after she assaulted a security guard at the mall. And now she failed to show up for her court appearance.

"What do you want me to do? I'm a private investigator not a bounty hunter." I looked at the time, knowing I had to get a move on it or I'd be late for my appointment. And I can't have that, it's bad for business.

"He's family and it's the holidays." My mother let that hang in the open for a few beats.

"Fine. I'll see what I can do." I hung up and flew out of my apartment.

My name is Stephanie Plum. I'm in my early thirties, have blue eyes and curly brown hair that falls to my shoulders. I'm doing okay financially and my biggest worry today is deciding on whether or not I'll watch a movie before bed. Considering things are pretty good for me right now, maybe that's why I accepted to take a look at Lucille's case.

S&R

My lunch meeting with my client went better than expected. I pocketed my pay and headed back to my car. It was the typical affair fiasco, an easy one to close.

Since I was done for the day I decided to call my parents' number to get more details of this whole skipping court situation.

My parents live in a chunk of Trenton called the Burg. Houses are small and homey. Cars are American. I lived here until I stretched the umbilical cord and went off to college. After a failed relationship I came back to Trenton a few months ago, but decided I needed my space so I found a place of my own.

On the first ring someone answered. It was my grandmother. Grandma Mazur moved in with my parents after Grandpa Mazur had one too many sweets and went to the big candy shop in the sky.

"Stephanie!" Grandma Mazur lost no time, giving me the details of the situation. She gave me directions to my cousin's bonds office. Not that I needed them. Vincent Bail Bonds is located on Hamilton and I drive by there pretty often. "If you need a sidekick, I'm available." Grandma reminded me before we ended our call.

I had to smile at Grandma Mazur's enthusiasm.

S&R

After a brief visit to the bonds office and meeting with Connie Rosolli, the office manager, I was on my way to Vinnie's house. I went to school with Connie's sister, Tina. Maybe that helped in her opening up to me, telling me what was going on. I was told that as soon as Vinnie realized his wife was Failure to Appear, he went in search of her. It's been a couple days since and Connie thinks there might be more to all of this than simply skipping court.

I parked in front of Vinnie's house, a nice looking two story place right at the edge of the Burg. I stared at the house for a few minutes, letting the facts I knew sink in.

It just didn't add up that two people would simply vanish. Just poof, gone without leaving a trace.

I angled out of my CRV and circled the house, taking in every detail. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the outside, so I used the keys Connie gave me and let myself in.

The place was messy. It was beyond the leaving in a hurry type mess. It looked like someone had been through here already. And it seemed they were searching for something.

I had yet to make it past the kitchen when I suddenly felt a presence in the house. I wasn't alone.

"Who are you?" A masculine tone was accompanied by the slight rustle of clothing.

"I come in peace." Just in case he had a gun trained on me, I moved my hands very slowly to my sides and dangled the keys. "See, I have keys. This is my cousin's house. I heard about his wife and wanted to stop by and see how he was holding up." Silence. I took that as a good sign and turned around.

I came face to face with a tall, drop-dead handsome Latino of a mocha-latte skin color and a body that was as good as it could get.

"Vinnie…" I cleared my throat, forgetting my train of thought for a moment. "I'm Stephanie Plum. Vincent Plum is my cousin."

The handsome man stared at me, hands tucked away inside the pockets of his fleece jacket, and kept quiet.

"I've told you what I'm doing here. What about you?" I was hoping if I got him talking, he'd look a little less ready to throw me out.

After a long stretch of silence the man finally spoke. "You tripped the alarm when you came in."

Oh. How could I have missed that?

"You're not the only one to overlook it." It was as if he could read my mind.

I decided to get down to business and see if he could give me something useful. "Someone's broken in."

An almost imperceptible nod was the response.

"Oookay." I darted my gaze around, filing in the back of my mind as much as I could of this place in case it proved to be handy later on. I've learned that people tend not to remember what they think isn't important. "So, Mister…" He'd yet to tell me his name.

"Ranger."

"Right." I wasn't sure if that was really his name or if he was just yanking my chain. "Mr. Ranger…"

"Just Ranger." He said, dark eyes doing a full body scan. The heat of his stare made me shift my weight to my other foot.

"Anyway, I can see the house is empty so I'll be heading out now." I gave him a two finger wave, letting him see the keys in my hand to reemphasize that I wasn't breaking in.

Before I even finished with my wave the sound of screeching tires reached us. Seconds later the roar of gunfire filled the air and before I knew it the dark skinned man was moving towards me.

We hit the floor together, his muscular body pinning me under him. The loud sounds continued and I barely registered that I was pressing impossibly closer to a man I'd just met.

Silence fell what felt like an eternity later. I was breathing hard, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

There was a loud explosion in the vicinity of the house. I shrieked and buried my face in the crook of the stranger's neck. I breathed him in, forgetting about everything for a moment. He smelled great and it finally registered that our bodies were tangled in a very intimate way.

"We need to get out of here." Ranger said, the words whispered near my ear.

"Yeah." I nodded, finally pulling my face away from his neck.

"You need to let go." He said while strong hands unclenched mine from the vicious grip I had on his jacket.

"Right." I let him lead the way to the back door.

We hurried through the small backyard and moved down the service alley running behind the houses. I had to jog a little to keep up with his long strides.

As soon as we rerouted back to the main street a huge fireball in front of Vinnie's house became visible.

"That's my car, isn't it?" I muttered out loud, feeling very certain I no longer had a car.

"Was." I heard Ranger say.

I gave the man a brief glare before returning my attention to the flames eating away at what used to be my car.

I sighed. I hadn't even been on the case for half a day and already I was car-less.

And to top it all off I groped a total stranger in a moment of panic.

**Thoughts?...**

**Upcoming chapters will go into more detail as to how Steph ended up as a PI.**


	2. Hot stRANGER

**Wow, the response to the first chapter was amazing. Really, I had no idea this AU fic would be such a hit. This chap's a little bit of a transition. We'll get more ****action**** and backstory to our fave characters in upcoming chapters. But fear not, Ranger makes his presence known in this chappie;)**

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.**

Perhaps the only good thing that came out of my car being devoured flames is the gained knowledge that things are definitely not what they seem.

The police arrived quickly. Apparently they'd just been here because Rangeman notified them of the break-in. That settled the why and how this Ranger man was in the house so quickly right after I went in.

Once the situation was handled by the professionals I headed to the bonds office. It wasn't a long walk, but I still needed to resolve the car issue. I can't work if I don't have transportation.

Connie was on the phone when I came in. She motioned for me to take a seat across from her desk while she ended the call. As I sat down, I noticed her desk was scattered with paperwork. Connie was swamped with work.

"I heard what happened." Connie offered me a Coke from the mini fridge next to her desk. I took it, enjoying a long sip. It helped me unwind.

"Why didn't you mention the alarm?" I asked.

Connie blinked, surprised when I told her about my short encounter with the handsome…err… Ranger.

"His name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso, but he likes to go by Ranger. He used to do skip tracing for us until he got into private security and became part owner of Rangeman." Connie got a Coke for herself as she told me that Rangeman handles security for the bonds office. "I had no idea Vinnie had Rangeman install security at his place."

I finished my drink, thinking.

S&R

Connie decided to close up shop a little earlier than usual. She gave me a ride to my parents' place.

My mother was waiting at the door for me. The house looks the same every time I see it. And every time I come to visit either my mom or Grandma are waiting for me.

"Are you okay?" My mother did a head to toe inspection despite my assurance that I was fine. The people in the Burg don't need the internet to know what's happening. They do it the old fashion way: by phone.

I helped set the table for dinner.

"Why did you ask me to look into this?" I said to my mother. "You've never approved of what I do." My mother hates that I'm in the phonebook listed under _private investigator_.

"You're doing well." My mother shrugged, bustling around the kitchen to make sure everything was set for dinner. I didn't push. My mother had just told me, in her own way, that I'm good at what I do.

"Of course, she's good!" Grandma Mazur has _always_ approved of my professional choice. She thinks it's cool. "Vinnie's family," Grandma Mazur waved a hand, saying the least we could do was poke around. Even if Vinnie isn't high on anyone's list of favorites. "And you're the most experienced at finding people."

That was true. At first, I thought it was _luck_ that kept me in the business as a private investigator. But now, I have gained enough experience to let it guide me.

"Are you going to continue with the search?" Grandma Mazur asked me during dinner. I looked up from my half empty plate of food to find that even my father had stopped shoveling food into his mouth to await my response.

"Yeah." I told them things got a little personal when my car blew up. I failed to mention my extra close interaction with Ranger.

As soon as dinner was over and the table clear, I said I had to go.

"You don't have a car." My mother wanted to know if I needed a ride to my apartment building.

"Actually..." Grandma Mazur gave me the keys to Big Blue. The car isn't in use, just collecting dust since Grandma is no longer allowed to drive.

"I uh..." I really didn't want to take Big Blue. It's the type of car that, well, once you're seen in... _you're seen.  
_  
But I had no other choice. For now I was stuck with the gas-guzzler of a car.

S&R

I parked in my usual parking space. I live in a three-story, redbrick apartment building. The appliances predate the dinosaurs, but they work. The building is full of seniors and since they spend most if not all of their time inside their apartments, this was the perfect place for me to live. I usually work long and irregular hours when I'm on a case and it's sort of comforting to know that regardless of the time I'm returning there's a good chance that my neighbors are home.

I live on the second floor and after taking the stairs I felt a little suffocated. I shrugged out of my jacket as I kicked my door shut. I made sure the locks were in place before moving to the kitchen.

I said hello to my hamster Rex by tapping on his glass home. Rex came out of the soup can he likes to sleep in and stared at me. It's not that he's waiting for me to tell him all about my day. Mostly he wants to know if I'll be dropping some food in. I gave him some food pellets and told him about my car blowing up. Rex stuffed his cheeks and went back to his soup can.

"Yup. Hiding sounds very appealing." I left Rex to enjoy his treat and migrated to the living room. Some people have cats or dogs as pets. I have a hamster. We have a good relationship.

I tried watching TV, but I couldn't concentrate. After a few minutes I gave up, remoting the TV off and snatching a notebook from the coffee table in front of the couch. I like to note details about my cases and jotting them down in a notebook helps me keep the facts in order. I tried using a voice recorder, but technology isn't my forte. I kept re-recording over my notes.

I started off by drawing a stick figure to represent Lucille. So I can't draw, what's wrong with that?

Ten minutes later I had very little written. All I knew so far was that Lucille didn't show up for court, but didn't know why. Not yet. No one knows anything about Vinnie's whereabouts either, so I can't ask him if he noticed anything out of the ordinary in his wife's behavior days prior to her court date.

I called Connie and asked if she could tell me more about Lucille's case. Right now my best shot at discovering anything was going to be by digging through Lucille's recent history.

"I'll do you one better." Connie said she had to go back to the bonds office for her computer, saying she could make a little detour to drop off a copy of Lucille's file. Connie was cooperating with me because apparently the current bounty hunter wasn't doing much progress. I got the vibe that she wasn't fond of the bounty hunter.

Works for me. The more resources I have, the easier it is to make forward progress.

Twenty minutes later I had Lucille's file and a warm cup of coffee to go along. I read over the file. No priors. Her father, Harry 'the Hammer', finances the bonds office.

"Huh." It makes even less sense that she would skip court knowing she could potentially harm her husband's business, and her father, along the way.

My next potential lead could come from Walter Dunphy, the security guard she assaulted. Also known as Mooner. I remember him. We went to high school together. He was voted most likely to be adopted by an old lady. The file says he's living with his mother. Close enough to the prediction of his peers, I guess.

I finished my cup of coffee and decided I had a new place to start: by talking to Mooner and hearing his side of things.

I rinsed my cup, shut down my laptop and went to bed.

S&R

_I nuzzled the side of his neck, breathing in his unique and masculine scent. My hands fisted his jacket, pulling him closer. I wanted to feel his body as close to mine as possible. _

_I darted my tongue out, intent on tasting him…_

I was jolted awake when my alarm blared. I silenced the offending _beep-beep_ and tried to catch my breath.

What was I doing letting a total stranger, regardless of how hot he is, invade my dreams?

I grunted and got out of bed. I grabbed clothes on the way to bathroom. A shower. Yeah, that would help.

As I shampooed I couldn't help but think about Ranger. I can't deny he's attractive and that it felt good, a little _too good_ in fact, to be pressed up against his hard body.

I noticed I was getting carried away fantasizing on this Ranger guy. I adjusted the water temperature from boiling to barely warm and speeded through my shower. Probably the only reason I was having such impure thoughts about this guy was due to my lack of a sex life.

Yeah, that sounded reasonable enough.

I opted for cereal on the go, giving Rex a quick 'good morning' tap on my way out of my apartment.

As I pulled out of my parking space I realized that thinking about getting naked with a man was a good sign. It probably meant I'd moved on and was ready to get back on the saddle.

_Oh boy. _


	3. Poking Around

**I want to thank everyone for the great response to this story. I know the holidays have come and gone, but it took me a while to develop the plot a little more;)**

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.**

I took Route 1 to Quaker Bridge Mall. Traffic was heavy, but moving.

Christmas was just around the corner and even though lots of people are currently unemployed, the mall's parking lot was full. The first open spot I found was no good for me. The Buick would have never fit there since the neighboring car was over the line.

Ten minutes later I finally found parking, leaving me to walk quite a distance to the nearest entrance. Once I was inside, I took a moment to look over the mall directory before heading to the information desk.

A woman who looked to be in her twenties was behind the desk, looking like she'd rather be elsewhere.

"Excuse me." I said I was looking for Walter Dunphy.

"Walter?" She gave me a funny look, like I was from another planet.

"Mooner. I'm looking for Mooner." I clarified and she gave me an _'ah, okay'_ type head nod.

"He should be by Macy's, but who knows." The woman shrugged, saying he could be anywhere. He was unpredictable like that.

"Thank you." I gave her a polite smile and stalked away. It's always good to keep good relationships with others. In my line of work I never know when I'll be running into someone again.

Walter, or should I say, Mooner wasn't anywhere to be found. After almost an hour of searching I ambled over to the food court to grab something to drink. I scanned my gaze around, looking past the busy shoppers enjoying a bite to eat, trying to decide on what I should settle on.

And then I spotted him. Mooner was camped out on a table by the restrooms. I approached, introduced myself and asked if he could spare a few minutes. Judging by his leave on his 'guard', it looked like he wouldn't mind.

He beckoned me to sit. "Like, what can I help you with, Dudette?" Apparently, he remembered me from way back when. I took advantage of the opening and explained I was looking for Lucille.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Maybe hearing his side of things would give me a different perspective. He was more than cooperative, telling me he spotted her walking briskly.

"She had a toilet paper trail, so I thought I'd tell her. You know, that's like _soo_ embarrassing." Mooner said as soon as he tapped Lucille on the shoulder she whirled around. "I don't remember everything." He said Lucille was like a Ninja, swatting her arms back and forth.

I asked if he knew what possessed her to do such a thing. To me, it sounded like she'd over reacted to his approach.

"I dunno." Mooner's attention span was short. I was losing him to a Brownie. "She came and apologized." He told me Lucille brought him some Brownies and although they weren't as good as his, he liked the flavor.

"When was this?" Mooner stared at me and it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to give much more. I thanked him and gave him my card. Maybe he'd remember something else later.

S&R

I walked around the mall some more, taking a look at the restrooms. They all looked pretty standard to me. I don't know what I was expecting to find, but it seemed like a good idea to check them out. Plus, I had to pee.

On my walk back to the car I had the feeling that someone was watching me. I knew it was a little paranoid on my part, considering the mall was heavily trafficked today, but I just couldn't shake off the feeling.

I slid behind the wheel and waited. I checked the mirrors, but I didn't spot anyone lurking between cars waiting on me. I backed out of the parking space and headed to Route 1.

I kept an eye out for a tail, knowing what to look for since I'm usually the one tailing someone. It was hard to be sure, because there was some traffic. I found on street parking in front of the bonds office and waited. Nothing.

I got out and went inside, waving at Connie as I waited for her to end her phone conversation. She told me she had to go bond someone out.

"You look tired." I said as I watched her round her desk.

"Tell me about it." I followed her out the door and waited until she locked up.

"I know you're in a hurry, but would you happen to know where Lucille's father lives?" I told her I'd already talked to Mooner. Maybe Lucille's father could give me more to go on.

"Yeah. He lives a couple streets over from Vinnie's." Connie gave me directions, hurrying off to her car.

I wound through streets, easily finding the address. The street was mostly deserted. People were out working or shopping.

I walked up to the door and knocked. A man opened the door on my third knock.

"Harry?" I asked, sticking my hand out and introducing myself. Harry 'The Hammer' was appropriate. He was a stocky man, thick in a muscle going a little soft kinda way.

"You're looking for my Lucille?" He lifted an eyebrow shifting his stance to tower over me. "Finally someone cares, unlike her weasel of a husband."

_Oakay_. I guess he isn't very fond of Vinnie. No surprise there.

I asked if he knew of any place his daughter would run off to and if he knew of any reason she'd run.

"No." Harry said this whole thing was very unlike his daughter. He said I should be looking at Vinnie's whereabouts. "He probably got her into this mess." It was obvious he wasn't a Vinnie fan. I thanked him and gave him my card.

I walked back to the Buick and drove to my parents' house. Maybe they had something for me.

Grandma was at the door. She said I was just in time for lunch.

"Have you found anything?" Grandma wanted to know.

"Nothing that makes sense yet." I loaded my plate and took a seat with my mother and Grandma at the kitchen table.

"I haven't heard anything." Grandma said she was going to a viewing this afternoon. She volunteered to ask around.

S&R

After eating I drove back to the bonds office with a plate of food on the seat next to me for Connie.

"Hey." I said to Connie when I came in, setting the plate of food on her desk.

"You're amazing." She said, thanking me for the food. "I need a raise." She grumbled just before digging in.

I told her I'd done some poking around already. "What about Vinnie?" I wanted to know his usual hanging spots.

Connie snorted, saying he loved lower Stark Street and gave me an 'if you know what I mean' glare. "His bookie runs that area." Connie said Vinnie and Stark Street's night life went together like Mac-n-Cheese.

I wasn't thrilled with the idea of wadding through the night life on Stark, but it was worth scoping the area for Vinnie.

Connie had things to do, so I let her concentrate and headed back to my apartment.

I parked in my usual spot and as I walked to the building's entrance, I kept my eyes peeled. I still couldn't shake off that feeling of being watched.

My apartment was silent when I entered. That was good. I did a fast sweep of my place, just to make sure. I didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Again, that was a good thing.

I decided a nap was a good idea since I was going out later tonight.

S&R

I woke up with a start, sitting up in the darkness. Night had fallen. I jumped out of bed and turned the light on. I moved out of my bedroom, flicking lights on and checking my apartment. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.

I shook the spooked feeling away and got ready. I dressed in comfortable clothes that would keep me warm and didn't constrict my mobility. Just in case.

I told Rex to keep his eyes open and not talk to strangers.

My drive was uneventful until I turned onto Stark. The area isn't particularly pretty during the day, much less at night. What caught my attention tonight was the fact that no one was out on the street, except for a lone woman standing on a corner. It looked like she was working. I parked and crossed the street to speak to her. Maybe she knew something.

"Hi." I said, giving a friendly wave to her. "I'm looking for a woman."

"Hmmp." She gave me an odd look, shifting her weight to her other foot. She was standing under a street light, illuminating her large and dark body. She was squished into colorful clothes that were a couple sizes too small.

"That come out wrong." I explained I was looking for Vinnie.

"First, you're looking for a woman. Then a man." Her eyes narrowed. "Which is it, girl?"

"I, uh…" Before I could clarify my words, there was a loud explosion somewhere in the nearby area. Seconds later, the lights on the block went out and the only light illuminating the night came from not too distant flames.

Chaos ensued. I heard screams and soon gunshots started.

Running footsteps moved past me, gunshots rang in my ear and fire erupted on my left butt cheek. I let out a cry of pain. I could hear sirens wailing in the distance as I tried to orient myself towards the Buick. It would have been easier if the car was a newer model, equipped with electronic gizmos I could use as guidance.

Someone grabbed my arm and pulled for me to follow. I screamed, partly due to the pain on my ass and partly because I didn't know who was leading the way. I large hand clasped over my mouth, silencing me.

"Shh." It was whispered in my ear and I stopped struggling. I recognized the voice. Ranger.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, trailing behind him as we moved between two buildings.

"What are you doing here?" I hate when people answer with another question. It's annoying.

"I'm looking for Vinnie." I struggled to keep up. Ranger didn't say anything. He kept us moving.

A few minutes later, I couldn't take another step. It was painful. But I guess luck was on my side after all because we emerged on another street. A car was parked there.

"Wait, my car's back there." I protested, watching as he moved to the driver's side door. This street did _have_ electricity.

"Leave it." He said it was chaos right now. That it was _dangerous._ He shot me a look, indicating I should get in.

I silently cursed, angling inside the SUV. Just before my ass hit the seat I felt a hand touch it. "HEY!" I slapped his hand away. "NO TOUCHING!" It wasn't that I found his touch unpleasant. It was more that my ass hurt.

He grabbed my hands with one of his, easily ending my slapping. "You're _bleeding_." He showed me his other hand, the tips of his fingers covered in blood.


	4. Things Have Changed

**I've got so much to do this week for classes (quizzes, exams, papers to write, etc), but the great response to the last chapter got me inspired to write the continuation. Thanks for the amazing response. **

**Ranger and Stephanie get even more personal in this chapter;)**

**Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.**

Ranger shrugged out of his jacket, swiftly removed his black T-shirt and pressed it against the wound. He took my left hand and said, "Keep that there." Before I even did what he asked, the car pulled away from the curb. He called someone, barked out orders and hung up. I didn't understand what he said. It was English, but I think it might have been code.

I was sitting on my right side, partially leaning against the door. I looked out the window to keep my mind off of the fact that I was bleeding. As I kept track of the streets I realized we weren't headed to the hospital.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked him for the second time tonight. "This isn't the way to St. Francis." I glanced at him, watching the way the glow of passing streetlights danced off his face and arms.

"If you go to a hospital, you're going to attract attention." He said I should avoid that.

"What do you mean?" Just as I was about to continue with my questions we hit a bump and fire erupted across my butt again. I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming. I wasn't very successful, letting out a harsh grunt.

Anyone else might have apologized, tried to soothe the discomfort, but not this guy. The jerk.

Maybe five minutes later he pulled into an underground garage and parked.

"What is this place?" I asked, not making a move to step out. Ranger got out, quickly rounding the back of the SUV. He wrenched the door open and since I was leaning against it I fell forward.

He caught me and I once again found myself pressed up to a very hot stranger. And I liked it, momentarily forgetting about my predicament.

"Am I dead?" I asked when he scooped me up in his arms and started walking. He smelled great and felt pretty good too.

"No." He stepped into an elevator, pressed the 2 button and made it seem effortless. I scanned my gaze over the buttons noticing there were seven floors, but it looked like you needed a key to get to the seventh floor.

"So, where are we?"

"Rangeman." We unloaded and he walked down a long hall. A couple long strides later he turned right, taking me into a room.

The room was filled with medical equipment and it hit me that this was an examination room. A heartbeat later a man joined us. He looked heavily built. I could tell even under his white coat.

"Are you a doctor?" I asked, watching as he washed and dried his hands before snapping on gloves. "You don't look like a doctor." He looked to be more along the lines of a wrestler or body builder.

"Yeah." He told me he was Dr. Brown, but I could call him Bobby if I preferred. Ranger placed me on a gurney type bed, helping me flip onto my front.

"Wait, wait." I was feeling a little uncomfortable with the thought of showing my butt to two men. Okay, one of them was extremely hot and the other said he was a doctor, but still.

"Would it help if a woman was present?" Ranger asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

I didn't hesitate. "Yes." There was a click in his jaw and Ranger turned, exiting the room.

"Judging by what I can see," Dr. Brown, or Bobby, was already getting into it. "You got off lucky." He told me he thought it was a flesh wound, but that he had to take a closer look to be sure.

"Yeah, okay." I didn't think I was lucky. It hurts.

I felt a rush of air run down my lower body and realized Bobby was cutting me out of my jeans. I always thought that would happen when I had one too many slices of birthday cake. Before I could dwell on that thought, Bobby asked me if I was allergic to any medication. I said I wasn't.

I heard footsteps and turned my head in time to see Ranger reenter. He had an older woman with him. She was wearing a bathroom over what looked to be pajamas.

"Hello, dear." She sounded a little sleepy, but that didn't take away from the sweetness in her voice. "I'm Ella." She stood by my side, where I could see her.

"Stephanie." I said through clenched teeth, knowing Bobby was busy working because I could feel it.

"The bullet grazed you." Ranger said, standing on my other side.

"Yeah." Bobby agreed, saying that even though it looks pretty messy I was going to be alright.

"Thank you. I feel so much better." I grumbled, knowing I probably sounded ungrateful, but I was feeling pretty crappy right now.

A rich, manly laugh filled the air and Bobby's smiling face popped up in my line of vision. "I'm going to give you something for pain, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded and then buried my face in my hands, not wanting to see.

S&R

I woke up, sprawled on my front feeling very comfortable. I cracked an eye open, finding I was in an unknown place. I shifted onto my side, instantly remembering the night's events. After Doctor Bobby patched me up Ranger brought me up to the seventh floor to rest. Turns out it's his apartment.

A man takes me to his apartment and it's because I got shot. Figures.

I rolled out of bed just as someone entered the bedroom. It was the woman from last night, Ella.

"You're awake." She said, asking how I felt.

"Better, I guess."

"I brought you these." She handed me a bundle of clothes, toiletries and a towel. She also said there was a tray of food in the kitchen.

"Thanks." I asked where Ranger was. Ella said he was in his office. "I'll let him know you're awake." And she left me alone.

The bathroom was spotless. I placed the things Ella gave me on the counter next to the sink and looked in the mirror.

"Here goes." I said to myself, turning around and dragging down the loose scrubs pants I was wearing. I looked over my shoulder, inspecting things through the large mirror. I gingerly pulled at the taped edges of the gauze patch, revealing the affected area.

Now, looking at the evidence I realize that yes, it could have been worse. A mean looking scrape-type mark was definitely better than a bullet lodged in the ass. With a sigh, I finished undressing and got into the glass-enclosed shower.

I scrubbed, washing away the previous day's events. Things have definitely changed for me in the past two days. My car's gone, I've been shot at and I'm in the apartment of a man who still to this day is a complete stranger.

Yeah, things are definitely out of order in my life.

I tried to think of something else. As I rinsed I noticed the lone bottle of shower gel in a corner. I bent to pick it up, cursing low when I felt a sting on my left butt cheek. "Bulgari Green." I took a whiff. It smelled like Ranger. Well, sorta. The scent was definitely enhanced on him.

And then it hit me that I was standing in _his_ shower. A chill ran through me and I decided it was best to get dressed.

There was some type of ointment with the things Ella gave me. I scanned over the instructions before applying it to the affected area. Next, I slowly dragged a pair of panties up my legs followed by jeans. After that getting dressed was a piece of cake. Ella chose well because the clothes were a perfect fit. The jeans were a little loose, but it was great considering my butt was a little tender.

I left the bathroom and went past the bedroom and living room until I reached the kitchen. True to her word there was a tray of food on the kitchen counter. I lifted the lid and found a selection of very healthy looking food. I grimaced. After last night's scare what I really needed was a nice breakfast, complete with lots of grease and a considerable portion of coffee cake. But since that wasn't on the menu right now, I selected a strawberry and ate it.

A door opened and closed and a moment later Ranger joined me in the kitchen, dressed in what I now assumed was his usual outfit of black cargo pants and T-shirt. No jacket right now.

He gave me a look, assessing me.

I cleared my throat. "I, uh, thank you. For last night."

"That area is dangerous."

"Yeah, you told me that last night." I wanted to know what all that was about, so I asked.

"Two forces are currently fighting over who gets to control the area. To mark the territory someone's gone on a killing spree." Ranger's expression never changed and it was very difficult for me to read into him.

"Ookay." I nodded at the information. "How did you know I was there?" It seems like a lot of coincidence that he was there last night.

"I was in the area."

"You're serious?" Did he really think I was going to buy into that? A thought occurred to me then. "Have you been following me?"

"You thing you're being watched?" He arched an eyebrow, barely cocking his head to the side.

"Then it wasn't you?"

He gave me a blank expression, but I had the gut feeling that he had nothing to do with the whole feeling of being watched I experienced yesterday.

Things have changed for me, in deed.

**Ranger's never had to deal with someone quite like Stephanie before, wink wink;) Stephanie is now finding herself in the middle of something much bigger than her or Lucille skipping court and it seems the road keeps leading to a hot stranger, Ranger.**

**Reviews are encouraging;) **


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